Losing Control
by Femininine
Summary: Two weeks after the battle with Unalaq, trouble arises. But not in the form expected. Korra begins to black out and lash out at Asami, but once she comes to, she has no memory of the incident. The attacks begin to get more and more violent, and the consequences Korra faces pile up around her.
1. Chapter 1: The Blackouts

_DISCLAIMER: THESE CHARACTERS, THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, ARE NOT MINE._

**CHAPTER ONE: THE BLACKOUTS**

"Hey, Korra, I was wondering…" Mako tried not to look at her in the eyes. Even though it had been two weeks since the break-up, he still was uneasy around her. He recalled when Korra had thrown his desk across the room—that was scary.

"Yeah?" Korra asked innocently.

"Well, Asami finished up her latest model, and she's about to go test it. She was wondering if you wanted to join."

"That sounds great," she replied. "Are we ready?"

Mako nodded. "We were just waiting on you.

Asami and Bolin stood outside the factory, next to the Lighthawk, the mentioned model. They saw Mako and Korra trudging up the hill.

"Oh hey, Korra!" Bolin said, and then turned to his brother. "What took you so long?"

"Bolin, we can't teleport places." Mako grimaced.

Asami ran up to Mako and embraced him. She nodded to Korra. "Are we all ready?"

"Seems like it," Korra responded.

The Lighthawk was massive—easily being able to carry four people. The design on the sides showed the head of a golden falcon, with _FUTURE INDUSTRIES _following.

Mako and Asami sat in the cockpit, while Korra and Bolin were stuck in the back.

The engine roared, and the Lighthawk took off. The Lighthawk did a figure-eight, and then flew north.

Korra could have sworn she heard kisses coming from the front, but she was always looking away when she thought she heard them. She stared out at the ground below.

Asami's factory was located in a forest, far away from Republic City (the skyline could still be seen, however). It rested on a riverbank, which resulted in the river being extremely polluted. The water was a murky brown. Garbage and fish bones floated here and there.

Bolin thought he saw Korra's eyes flare white for the briefest of seconds. He hesitantly backed up.

The plane did a U-turn and flew back to the facility; the test-flight was successful. After many congratulations, Mako and Bolin walked off to the ferry. Korra looked at Asami. "Asami, I was—" Her eyes suddenly glowed white. She sank to the ground, shivering.

Asami gasped, "Korra!"

Bolin and Mako turned around, saw the scene, and rushed to Korra's aid. The three of them scooped her up and carried her to the ferry.

#####

Korra was propped up on pillows in Tenzin's house. The former three plus Tenzin and his family watched her intently.

"What happened?" Tenzin asked in a harsh tone.

"I have no idea," answered Asami. "One second, she was fine, and the other, she was like this!"

"Is it a side-effect from her battle with Unalaq, maybe?" Mako pitched in.

"Yes, it may be," Tenzin murmured. He touched Korra's forehead; it was ice-cold.

As abruptly as she had fainted, Korra awoke and sat up. "—wondering—wait, where am I?" She looked around. "Tenzin, what are you—?"

Mako ran and hugged her. "Korra, do you have any idea what happened?"

Korra looked confused. "No. What happened?"

"Um, Korra, you kind of fainted," Bolin said. "And your eyes were all glowy and stuff."

"You don't remember that?" Mako asked.

"No, not at all." She looked afraid. "I was just talking to Asami—"

Her eyes glowed again, much to the shock of the others.

Tenzin gripped her, which wasn't very easy to do, as the spasms were much more violent this time.

A gale of wind blew through the room. The group was hurled backwards, as Korra rose to her feet, eyes glowing bright silver. She looked at Asami, and she literally breathed fire from her nostrils. She raised a fist, and a ball of fire hurtled towards the businesswoman. Asami ducked, and the fireball blasted a hole in the wall.

"Korra, what are you doing?" she shouted.

Bolin rose first, and, deprived of any earth, rushed Korra. He was once again blasted by a gust of air.

Korra seemed only intent on harming Asami. She summoned a dagger of fire and gripped Asami's shirt. She singed a hole in it, and said, _"Fix it! FIX IT!"  
_

Asami screamed, "Fix what?"

Korra collapsed again. Tenzin, rubbing his head where he had slammed into the wall, picked her up and put her back on the pillows.

"What was that about?" Mako asked, massaging his back, where he had slammed into Tenzin's children.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Korra's old teacher sighed.

Asami poked the hole in her shirt, which was still smoking. "What am I supposed to fix?"

"I think it might be best"—Tenzin turned to Asami—"if you left for now—just until this is sorted out. She's obviously targeted you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Asami hastily walked out the door.

Tenzin stared at the sleeping girl on the couch. To a casual observer, she would look like just a normal teenager. But Tenzin had seen her in action, bending all four elements to her will.

He sighed and pondered.

Bolin, too, did some thinking. He remembered Korra's reaction to the state of the river.

"Tenzin!" Bolin cried. "I think I might have an idea of what's going on!"

"And what might that be?" Tenzin replied.

"Well, when we were testing out Asami's plane, we got a pretty good look at the river behind the factory." Bolin looked excited. "I saw Korra's eyes kinda flash when she saw it. Maybe this is linked to the pollution!"

"That would also explain what she meant by 'Fix it.' " Tenzin turned to Bolin. "Or why she's attacking Asami."

"Okay," Mako said, "but how do we stop it?"

Bolin frowned. "Clean the river?"

"That'll take more than a year," Mako criticized. "It's huge. And if we do, it'll just get dirty again. If we get rid of the factory, Future Industries will go out of business."

"Oh."

"It's a good start, though," Tenzin said. "Well done. Now, you might want to go home and sleep on it. Let Korra rest, for now."

"Tenzin," Mako said, "we should probably stay here. Just in case, y'know, Korra starts attacking again."

"That's completely nonsensical," said Tenzin. "She was only intent on hurting Asami, as you saw."

Mako insisted, "Please. Just in case. We know nothing about her condition right now, other than the cause, which we're still not sure about. Anything can happen."

Tenzin raised his hands in defeat. "I guess there's no persuading you to leave. So be it. You can sleep in our guest room."

#####

Korra groaned. She had a severe headache; it felt as if she had slammed her head repeatedly on a rock. She sat up and stretched. It was night, but the sliver of moonlight led her to believe she was still at Tenzin's place.

Korra thought about how Bolin had told her about passing out. This had never happened before, other than when she had been attacked by that one oceanic dark spirit. But even then, she had known she had been unconscious, despite having no memory prior to it. Here, it was one moment, then immediately the next. It was enough to make her nauseous.

She stared at the wall, pondering. Since when was there a scorched hole in the wall?

She stood up, but dizziness hit her like a hurricane, forcing her back down. She adjusted herself on the pillows, closed her eyes, and instantly fell back to sleep.

#####

Tenzin paced his room, searching for an idea, a possible way to stop the blackouts. He was now scared for not only Korra, but those around her as well. The way she had attacked Asami was frightening, and the instance when she swatted away Bolin revealed that she would injure anyone in her way, both literally and metaphorically. What if Korra saw Asami in the streets? Countless civilians might get hurt.

As much as he tried to deny it, part of him wasn't sure if he should believe Korra in that she went amnesiac. He was pretty sure even he would know when he attacked someone. Then again, this was the first time she got violent, so maybe she had remembered this time. As Mako had said, anything was possible in this accursed world of theirs. Now, if only there was something that could restrain her…or someone.

"I've got it!" he cried.

In the guest room, Mako awoke to running footsteps.

The door slowly creaked open. Tenzin stepped inside.

Bolin kept snoring. Mako slapped him, and he came around.

"What happened?" he cried drunkenly, and jumped up into a fighting stance.

"Bolin, it's just Tenzin," Mako replied. He looked at the bearded man. "Why are you here? Did you come up with something?"

"Indeed I did," Tenzin replied. "Well, not something to prevent the fainting, but something to ensure the safety of Asami and others."

"Good enough."

"So, I was thinking we would provide Korra with an escort."

Bolin whistled. "She's not gonna like that."

"It was the only thing I could think of," Tenzin confessed. "And anyways, the escorts could wear disguises, or hide. She may not even know them."

"Wait," said Mako, "who're going to be the escorts?"

"Whoever I can find." Tenzin looked pained.

"I'll do it," Bolin volunteered. Mako said the same.

"What I'm worried about, however," Tenzin continued, "is that she'll recognize you. She would be more likely to assume she's being watched with you two."

Mako grimaced. "Who else do you have?"

A sigh came from Tenzin. "I only have you two, as of now. I imagine I could do it, too, but I'll stand out from the crowd."

Bolin piped up. "Would it even matter if she saw us? I mean, think about it. Wouldn't she just say hi and maybe talk with us? It's kind of a long shot that she'll guess we're spying on her."

"Well, yeah, that _could _happen," Mako admitted.

"See? Why don't we just hang out with her, and if she goes psycho, just hold her back until she faints?"

Tenzin nodded. "That should do the trick. Thought I fear that she won't faint until her goal is finished."

"Well," said Mako, "let's hope we don't have to worry about that. I'll do my shift tomorrow."

With that all settled, Tenzin walked out of the room. He silently prayed that nothing would go wrong.

Little did he know how useless that prayer would be.


	2. Chapter 2: The Escort

_DISCLAIMER: THESE CHARACTERS, THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, ARE NOT MINE._

**CHAPTER TWO: THE ESCORT**

Korra walked on the sidewalk, not exactly sure where she was going. She did this pretty often nowadays, but she wasn't sure why.

She turned around. There it was again—that creepy feeling, as if someone was watching her. But just like before, there was no one looking at her.

She sighed thankfully. Ever since she had defeated Unalaq, she had been treated like a celebrity, or a war hero—which she realized she sort of was.

Mako breathed heavily behind a parked car. That was close—too close. He could have sworn he had seen Korra glimpse him, but nevertheless, she miraculously hadn't. Despite what Bolin had said, he still was nervous. Why count mind-reading out from her list of superhuman abilities?

He sneaked another peek. He saw Asami's car turn the corner. _No,_ he thought. _Turn around!_

It was too late: Korra had seen it, too. She crumpled to the ground, shaking. A crowd gathered around her.

"Get out of the way!" Mako shouted, as loud as he could. He had seen Bolin get tossed aside—Korra wouldn't hesitate to harm the civilians.

He shoved through the crowd and pinned Korra's arms to the wall. Her eyes, like before, were a bright white.

_Alright,_ he thought. _I can do this._

Naturally, that's when things went horribly wrong.

Korra puffed air from her nostrils, making Mako stagger and relinquish his grip. She raised her arm, and chunk of the sidewalk was lifted from the ground, flinging Mako through the air like a rag doll.

Asami saw Mako flying over the road. There was nothing she could do. With a sickening _THUD, _the car hurtled into him, sending him skidding across the asphalt, limbs flailing wildly.

Asami pulled over. She spotted Korra turn to her direction. Flames engulfed the Avatar's hand.

She quickly kicked open the passenger door and flung herself onto the asphalt. Just in time, too—a wave of fire crashed over the car, hitting the engine right in the middle.

A massive explosion ensued. It was pure chaos—people were screaming, running the other direction. Asami tried not to look at Mako. It would be too painful. She held onto the small glimmer of hope that, somehow, he had survived.

A foot slammed into Asami's back. She turned her head around, and saw Korra's shoe on it.

Korra raised her fist, and a whip of fire appeared in her hands. Asami looked into her glowing eyes and saw no mercy. She knew this was the end.

_At least I'll be with Mako_, she thought. A faint smile tugged at her lips.

Korra leaned backwards, about to strike—

Metal coils lashed around her wrist, making her stumble and the whip disintegrate into nothingness. A chunk of rock hit her smack-dab in the face, and she collapsed.

Behind her, Asami saw Chief Lin Beifong, her lips pursed.

"Go get the injured one," she ordered another cop. "Make sure they're not dead."

She grimaced at Korra's limp form. "Fame's gotten to her head, this one," she said. Then she looked at Asami. "Come with us," she said bluntly. "Tell us exactly what happened."

That night, Tenzin went to the deck of his house, staring at Republic City's bright lights. He turned his radio on.

_"…only one was injured, and the Avatar has been sent to Republic City's jail after a quick and one-sided trial. This is Chief Lin Beifong with more info."_

Tenzin stared, wide-eyed, at the radio.

_"Thank you."_ Beifong's voice sounded from the speakers. _"There's not really too much else to say. She was caught attacking a woman who wishes to remain anonymous. The only thing I found curious is that the Avatar said she didn't remember anything instead of simply denying it. Humph. It was probably just an act."_

Tenzin hurriedly turned it off. He put his face in his hands.

The plan had failed.


	3. Chapter 3: Imprisoning a Monster

_DISCLAIMER: THESE CHARACTERS, THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, ARE NOT MINE._

**CHAPTER THREE: IMPRISONING A MONSTER**

Republic City Jail was a deplorable place.

Korra's jail cell seemed to be the most deplorable part of it.

It was littered with long-since spoiled prison food, patches of moss, and a puddle of mysterious green slime in the corner (out of boredom, Korra had tried bending it, to no avail. She wished she hadn't).

"There you go," the guards had said. "What an Avatar you are now."

"I didn't do this, okay?" Korra had tried telling them, but they just snorted.

"Right," one of them replied. "And I became President."

She couldn't blame them for scoffing at her. She couldn't even fool herself.

At the trial, she had seen Mako, wrapped in casts. The whole time, she couldn't help thinking, _I did this. I did this to him._

"She's a monster," Beifong had said. "Look what she did to one of her best friends!"

_She's a monster. _The words resonated inside her head. _She's a monster._

The door of her cell opened, letting Tenzin and Bolin in.

Bolin's face was bright red. "What did you do?" he shouted. "You could have killed him! You monster! You psycho!" He paused and turned to Tenzin. "Don't you think 'Psykorra' has a nice ring to it?"

"What I think," answered Tenzin, "is that maybe you should let Korra and I talk—_alone_."

"Then why did you invite me?" Bolin complained, but he strode out the door.

Tenzin sat next to Korra on her wooden bed. "You know it's for the best."

Korra sighed and nodded.

Tenzin looked at her, opened his mouth as if to say something, and then closed it. "I…just lost my whole train of thought."

The sight of two broken blue eyes looking up at him was heart-wrenching._ Curse my bad memory, _he thought. No punishment came close to being as excruciating as this.

He hastily stood up. He couldn't look at her face any more. He would just break down.

Tenzin walked out of the cell. The guard shut the door behind him, leaving him with one last glimpse at the heartbroken teen.

_You monster._

Korra glanced at her untidy reflection in the rusted mirror just in time to watch the first tear slide off her cheek.

There were many more to come that night.


	4. Chapter 4: To Clean a River

_DISCLAIMER: DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY BEND TO MY WILL, THESE CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE._

**CHAPTER FOUR: TO CLEAN A RIVER**

Mako's injuries left him too much time to think.

He had, miraculously, survived. Unfortunately, that meant many painful days ahead. Nigh on every bone in his body had been broken.

He wasn't sure how to think of Korra now. Sure, she hadn't meant to do it, but he still wouldn't think of her the same again. The glare of those white eyes was forever imprinted into his memory.

He stared out the window of his hospital ward. The night sky was filled with stars.

There was a knock on the door. Moments later, Asami entered the room.

"Hey," Mako croaked. His vocal chords had also been damaged.

Asami smiled and rested her hand on his cast. "Hey." She followed his gaze. "That was pretty crazy yesterday, wasn't it?"

Mako attempted a laugh, but his face contorted in pain as he made a sound like a turtle-duck puking.

"Well," Asami continued, "I just stopped by to make sure you were okay. I've got a meeting with Beifong today."

She kissed Mako's black and blue cheek, and then strode out the door.

#####

Korra was scared to fall asleep, despite the fact that Asami was nowhere near and she was locked tight in a prison cell. With her luck these days, something would happen that allowed her to run free and wreak havoc.

It was a curious feeling, being afraid of yourself.

But eventually, pure drowsiness kicked in. Her eyelids closed, and before she knew it, she was asleep.

Korra's fears were correct, however.

Moments after she began slumbering, her eyes opened; they were bright white. Her mouth, too, opened, and she said in a voice that sounded older than hers, _"The threat must be stopped. The fire must be put out."_

A light blue aura swirled around her.

#####

Mako was still studying the constellations.

A cerulean streak slashed across the sky.

He blinked. It was no longer there.

#####

Asami turned her chair around to face Beifong.

"Hello," she said simply.

Beifong grimaced. "Let's just cut to the chase. Why am I here?"

"I want this factory to be more secure," Asami replied.

"And by _secure_, you mean _have more guards_, correct?"

"Correct," repeated Asami.

"I suppose it could be done. But tell me," Beifong hissed, "Why I was brought out to this uncharted forest just to say you could have more security?"

Staring down, Asami shook her head. "I don't know."

"I thought so. If—" Beifong stiffened. "Get down," she muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"I said," the officer snarled, "_GET DOWN!"_

She raised her arm, and metal chords flew out of her sleeve, dragging Asami to the floor. Be Fong herself jumped sideways.

Something large and bright blue plummeted down to where Asami had just been and broke a hole in the floor. Moments later, it could be heard hitting ground level.

Everything was obliterated at once. Chunks of wall fell into the night, desks and blueprints in hot pursuit. Seconds later, the whole factory collapsed.

Beifong and Asami were flung out, flying through the air. They hit solid ground. Asami's vision went black instantly.

A wave—no, a tsunami—of flames rose from the ruins, burning the metal remains to ashes. This was too much fire for even an Avatar to summon.

Beifong struggled to her feet and surveyed the wreckage. "No…I had thought…" was all she managed before she joined Asami in unconsciousness.

#####

When she came to, Asami's whole body ached. She groaned and got on her knees. The bright sunlight blinded her, but she managed to see through it and look at once used to be her factory.

Rubble. Rubble was all that was left. All her projects, models, everything...gone.

She looked past it and examined the river.

It was an immaculate bright blue. As she watched, playful spirits swam around, joyously basking in the cleanliness.

Asami was sickened. She was sure that Korra was behind all this.

Had she really put this one river in front of her friends?

No, this was insane. This wasn't the Korra she knew. This was a monster. A savage beast.

There was always the possibility that she really _did_ not try to do anything, that something or someone else was behind this. But that was unlikely. How do you not remember destroying a whole factory?

The Avatar was supposed to bring peace, balance. But instead, Korra had brought flaming ruins and strife. She had tried to kill her, she had injured the one she loved, and destroyed her business.

Asami didn't cry. She wouldn't give Korra that satisfaction.

She just stared as the final embers died, along with her whole career.

#####

Korra's cell's door slammed open. She squinted as light poured into the miserable room.

One of her guards stepped in.

"Come with us. You've got a lot of explaining to do."


	5. Chapter 5: Reasons and Revelations

_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS._

_**Apologies to those who read this for the rather late update.**_

**CHAPTER FIVE: REASONS AND REVELATIONS**

Raava floated around aimlessly in the dark void. Around her, blue squares of light showed scenes of a tan, dark-haired girl, fighting off enemies or just sitting around. In front of the spirit of light, an massive oval displayed what that girl was seeing right then. Silvery strands of light peeled off it, eventually transforming into more squares.

This was, of course, Korra's mind.

The spirit looked around. She found it curious that there weren't any memories of the destruction of the factory; it only took place the night before. Did Korra not remember? Raava looked down. How could she not have noticed this before?

But there was still hope. Maybe Korra had shoved it to the back, thinking—or maybe hoping—that it had been but a nightmare.

Raava swam through the air, away from the oval. Around her, the memories began to grow a reddish tint, showing darker memories: Korra, embracing Mako; Amon, stripping her of her bending; Unalaq, towering over her... But nowhere was the vision Raava was looking for.

She hurried back to the oval. She knew she would have to come out and explain everything eventually. Hopefully Korra would understand. Raava hoped that Korra wasn't in too much trouble.

She glanced at the oval and saw Chief Lin Beifong, shouting at Korra.

Raava stared. Eventually would have to be soon.

#####

The interrogation room was a dull gray. A table lay in the center, two unused chairs on opposite ends. A single bare light bulb dangled from a chain on the ceiling.

Beifong sneered at Korra from the other side of the desk. "It won't do you any good to deny it!" she snarled. "Admit to it, and your punishment won't be as harsh!"

"I can't even get rid of that slime in my cell," Korra retorted, "much less a whole factory!"

"Then explain to me," growled Beifong, "who that blue giant bending down by the river was! Your twin sister?"

"Whoever it was, it wasn't me!"

"Who else in this city—no, this _world_—can do that, then?"

Korra glared up at the woman. "I was in my cell! I couldn't attack anyone!"

"Your guards claim to have seen some sort of blue essence come out of you when you were asleep and fly through the walls of your cell!"

"I doubt I could do that in my sleep; I could barely do it when I was awake!"

"You—"

_Korra,_ a feminine voice whispered.

Time froze. Beifong was trapped in mid-sentence. An invisible force pried Korra's mouth open.

White fog poured out, followed by a glowing white squid squeezing its way out. Once freed, the squid grew in size until it could barely fit in the room.

Korra crossed her arms. "What do _you _want?"

_I have come to apologize for the trouble I've caused you, _Raava said.

Korra's eyes widened. "You mean..._you _did this to me?"

Raava remained silent. The answer was clear.

"_Why? _Why would you do this to me?" Tears stung Korra's eyes. She blinked, holding them back.

_The state of the river...it was too much for me to handle. _There was a tone of guilt in the spirit's voice.

"It was just one river!"

_One river that would turn into two rivers, then four, then eight... It would go on and on until there would be nothing clean. Humans and spirits alike would die. It must be stopped in its early stages, before it envelopes the world._

"But why would you use me? Why couldn't you do it yourself?" There was very little keeping Korra from flat-out screaming now.

_I will admit, I wasn't thinking very straight. But together, our powers are much stronger than what I could have done alone. No...that foolish woman would continue to pollute the river._

"You could have just, I don't know, _asked,_ without any violence!"

_Korra, when have you ever_ asked _for something and gotten it?_ _No, she wouldn't have listened. Violence, I hate to say, was necessary._

But Korra was far too enraged to process these words. She hurled a blast of fire at Raava, shouting, "You're just as bad as Unalaq! Get out!"

The spirit dodged. _Korra, be reasonable! I only create destruction to prevent destruction._

"You made me out like a monster! My friends hate me, Mako's almost dead, the world thinks I'm a psycho, and I'm stuck in jail, because of _YOU!_"

_Please, Korra—_

"NO! Get out of here! I never want to see you again! _You_ did this to me!"

Raava, seeing that Korra wouldn't calm down until she was gone, sighed. Her long body began to disperse, tiny particles left behind. Finally, Raava was gone.


	6. Chapter 6: Rash Decisions

_Disclaimer: I do not own these characters._

**CHAPTER SIX: RASH DECISIONS**

"Korra!" Beifong snarled. "Get up off the floor!"

Korra blinked. The last thing she remembered was Raava's confession. She quickly sat up and scanned the room, but nothing seemed destroyed and Beifong, apart from the burns and bruises probably resulting from last night's ordeal, seemed unharmed. Well, at least she hadn't tried to attack anyone.

"I don't know how you went from standing to sitting so quickly, but get up!"

Korra got to her feet. She wasn't sure what to do, tell Beifong about Raava or not. While it was the spirit's fault, Raava had done many more good things for her. But she wasn't going to just sit around and be punished for something she didn't do.

She leaned on the table. "Look, I'm saying this for the last time. _I didn't do it._"

Beifong scowled. "We've already had this discussion, Korra! Unless you will really tell me who did it?"

Korra bit her lip. She quickly made her decision. "It—it was Raava."

"I didn't see_ Raava_ attacking me last night; I could clearly tell it was you!" Beifong snarled.

"She was..._using _me," Korra responded.

"Stop blaming others, Korra!" Beifong shouted. "This is childish! Are you really this afraid of being punished?"

"No," Korra growled, "I'm just not going to take the blame for what I didn't do!"

"Enough!" Beifong straightened up. She turned on her heel and marched out the door, leaving Korra alone.

One of the guards overlooking the interrogation through a small window turned to her and asked, "Did she say anything useful?"

Beifong shook her head. "Just some crap about Raava."

Another guard said, "You know, she saved the world—_twice._ Why can't we just, you know, let her off the hook for this one?"

"Because," Beifong said slowly, "what she did in the past is past. This is a completely new situation. Did we not already award her enough, anyway?"

The guard shrugged and turned back to the window.

"We need something to make her talk," Beifong announced.

The first guard laughed. "She's the Avatar. Not much can do that."

"Do we still have that, ah..._artifact_ from Ba Sing Se?" the second guard asked, a sinister look on his face.

"No," Beifong growled. "Raiko said it was unlawful."

"Well, that's a shame," said the guard. "Dunno what else we got, though."

"We'll have to come up with something—quickly." Beifong looked through the window. Korra was sitting, glaring at her. "We should take her back to her cell."

The two guards stood up. "Yes, ma'am," they said, and went into the room.

#####

"_What?_"

Mako, ignoring the pain, sat up, startled. "I thought she was in jail!"

Asami smiled grimly. "She was."

"Then how did she do it?"

Asami opened her mouth, but Bolin interrupted her. "Mako, she's the _Avatar_. She can do pretty much anything."

"She can't walk through walls." He looked to Asami. "She can't, right?"

Asami shrugged. "That's what they're saying she did. Apparently her guards saw her use her giant blue form to get out. It's what Beifong says she saw attack the factory, too, not to mention the dozens of eyewitnesses saying they saw it."

"But..._why _would she do that?" Mako asked, not really expecting an answer.

"I don't—"

"What's that?" Bolin said, pointing out the window.

In the light of sunset, it looked as if a brawl had started out in the streets, except it was a dozen to one—literally.

"That's not who I think it is, is it?" Bolin continued.

#####

"Korra, stand down!" Beifong screeched as she shot a metal coil at the girl.

Korra melted the wire with a well-timed blast of flame, and shot another one at the officer. Beifong swiftly dodged.

"You're just proving us right, Korra! You're a beast that needs to be contained!"

That last remark made Korra hesitate, and a guard's chord lashed at her face. She staggered back, temporarily blinded, and a pillar of the asphalt rose up into her stomach, sending her flying.

She hit the ground hard. She tried to call upon the Avatar State, but too late she remembered that Raava had left her. Nothing came.

She shakily rose to her feet and sent a wave of fire at her adversaries. It only hit a few, but it delayed the others enough so that she could regain some of her energy and run the other way.

More wires flew about her as she ran, but she dodged the ones that came too close. She turned her head and saw a pier, only a couple of people milling about on it. She turned, jumped out of the way of a massive wall of earth a guard had summoned, and ran onto it. She reached the edge and jumped, at the same time creating a wave to carry her off.

The guards shot more wires, but Korra was already far out of reach. They raised their arms, and large rocks rose out of the water. They jumped on, but Beifong shouted, "Stop!"

They turned to face their superior officer.

"There's no need," Beifong continued. "She won't be coming back."


	7. Chapter 7: Persuasions

_Disclaimer: I do not own these characters._

**CHAPTER SEVEN: PERSUASIONS**

Korra leaned against a tree, gasping for breath. She had run quite the long distance once she had reached land, sure that the guards were still after her. Curiously, they weren't.

Only now did she realize the full extent of what she had done. A jailbreak—what had she been thinking? No, she hadn't been thinking. She lived in the now, and didn't worry about consequences until they came. Because of that, she would probably never be able to go back to Republic City without being behind bars for the rest of her life, or worse—did they use the death penalty?

But nevertheless, she probably wouldn't be able to see her friends again, too. Mako, Bolin, Asami—

Asami. Korra had never stopped to think about her, what she was going through. Of course, she was most definitely angry at Korra, for she didn't know about Raava. But still, Korra couldn't get over the fact that this whole time, she hadn't given a single thought about the woman. She was probably in a situation as rough as Korra's.

Korra turned around and stared at the skyline of Republic City. Going from being its hero to not even being able to step foot in it was quite the undesirable change.

#####

"What do you mean, she _escaped_?"

President Raiko stood up from behind his desk, facing Beifong.

"She caught us by surprise," the woman confessed. "We were taking her back to her cell, and she melted her handcuffs and hit her escorts against the wall with gusts of wind."

"And where did she go?"

"We don't know. We stopped chasing her once we reached the water."

"_What_?" Raiko snarled. "You just let her go?"

Beifong didn't quail under his gaze. Instead, she said, "Her coming back is quite unlikely. I—"

"_Unlikely_?" the president thundered. "Do you forget who we're dealing with? Korra is the epitome of unpredictable, Beifong. She even caught you by surprise!"

"I acknowledge that," Beifong replied. "But it seems rash, even for her, to show her face here again."

"She burned down a factory, Beifong! And she attacked one of her friends in broad daylight on the streets! Is coming back rash compared to that?"

Beifong remained silent.

Raiko stood up and began, "Beifong, I want—"

And he froze, mouth open. Outside, guards were paused in midstride. Beifong blinked.

White fog accumulated in the corner of the room. After a while, it took the shape of a glowing white squid-like spirit.

"Raava," Beifong said, lacking any emotion.

_Beifong. I have come to tell you, Korra did not do those crimes._

Beifong's eyes narrowed. "Then who did?"

_Me_, the spirit said simply.

"Oh, I see what it is," Beifong snipped. "Korra told you to come and persuade me that she was right, that you did it. I've never seen a spirit of light corrupted so easily."

_Beifong, don't be foolish. Would I really do that for a criminal_? Raava said.

"Well, it certainly seems like you are," Beifong replied.

_I'm not. Look around you, at the people frozen in time. I did the same trick with Korra while you were interrogating her and confessed to her what I had done._

"Why should I believe you?"

_Did Korra make any movements that happened in the blink of an eye?_

"Why..." A memory of Korra, instantaneously going from standing to sitting, swam up from the depths of Beifong's thoughts. "Why, yes, she did."

_Now do you believe me?_

Beifong wasn't sure if she should believe Raava. "Not entirely," she admitted. "I saw Korra attack the factory, not you. Is what she said true, about you...'using' her?

_Yes._

"But why would you do such a thing?"

_Through Korra, I saw the river running by that woman's factory that was extremely polluted. I rather lost control of myself. I wasn't aware that Korra didn't know about me doing these things until the interrogation. _Raava sunk lower to the ground.

"You are aware that you will have to pay the consequences, spirit or no?" Beifong asked.

_Yes,_ Raava repeated after a moment's silence.

#####

"—you to track her down! I don't feel that this city is safe with her on the loose."

"No," Beifong said.

"What?" Raiko asked, shocked.

"Korra didn't do it."

"What makes you say that, especially after you were saying for so long that she's guilty?"

"I had a chat with Raava," Beifong explained. "She cleared everything up."

"What—but—how—?" Raiko spluttered, dumbfounded. "You can't have had a chat in the space of a second!"

"The point is," Beifong continued, "she's not guilty."

"You saw her destroy that factory!" Raiko exclaimed. "How can she not be responsible?"

"Raava was using her."

"You know full well that this is nonsense!" Raiko said. "Has it occurred to you that Korra may have sent her?"

"It has."

"Then how do you know she told the truth?"

"She provided me with sufficient reasons to believe her," Beifong snapped.

Raiko's mind was in turmoil. Surely Beifong would not lie to him; she was one of his most trusted advisors. But still, how could she talk to Raava in the space of a second? Never mind that, Raava was a spirit, she could probably do such things.

"So be it," he said. "I shall remove Korra of her criminal status."

Beifong nodded and turned to walk away. She only took reached the doorway when Raiko called, "Oh, and Beifong, I just want to tell you..."

"Yes?" Beifong whipped her head around.

Your services have been very much appreciated. The date is fast approaching"—Raiko motioned to the calendar hanging on the wall—"where I leave office."

Beifong's lips twitched in a brief smile. "It's been a pleasure serving you." And with that, she strode out the door.


	8. Chapter 8: Cleared Status

_Disclaimer: I do not own these characters._

_It's kind of a short one this time around, but I hope you enjoy regardless._

**CHAPTER EIGHT: CLEARED STATUS**

Raava watched overhead as Korra walked along below, oblivious to her presence.

She had been racking up her courage to talk to Korra again. Her words had rung in Raava's mind ever since they had been uttered:

_"I never want to see you again!"_

So she had been hovering quietly above the girl, trying to find her voice.

_Korra_, she finally called.

Korra whirled around, a fire in her eyes. Raava could tell that her brief trek in the life of a fugitive had nevertheless changed her somewhat. Hopefully she would revert back to her normal self once she was welcomed back.

"Raava?" she said, expression changing from surprise to rage. "Haven't you done enough already?"

_Korra, I'm truly sorry for what I've done,_ Raava answered.

Korra snorted. "Yeah, 'cause 'sorry' will cut it. Maybe if you somehow convinced Beifong I didn't do it—"

_I did._

"Wait, what?" Korra's eyes widened in disbelief.

_Yes, _Raava said. _She then convinced Raiko to get rid of your criminal status._

"That's—that's great, Raava!" Korra cried ecstatically. "Thanks!"

Raava remained silent. She remembered what Beifong had said. _"You are aware that you will have to pay the consequences, spirit or no?"_

But it was worth it. She had put Korra in this mess, and it was time that she payed for her actions. She turned and flew away until she was but a speck in the starry sky.

Korra smiled again and ran in the direction of the Republic City skyline.

She was no longer a criminal. Surely everything would get better, just this once.

#####

_"...with Chong's inauguration tomorrow morning, President Raiko has made a stunning move in declaring Avatar Korra innocent after she had been accused of destroying a factory far to the east of Republic City. His reasons remain unknown. An unnamed messenger has been sent to tell the Avatar—"_

"NO!"

The radio was flung through the air. Before it hit the ground, a blast of fire incinerated it. Its cinders fell to the floor.

The man turned to a portrait of another man, with short blonde hair and a jovial expression. The man put his hand on it and closed his eyes.

"I will avenge you, old friend. I swear."

The portrait remained unmoving, only a shattered memory of a happy life cut short.

Korra did this. And Korra had to pay.

Once he got into power, he would teach her some discipline. Running rampant, murdering innocent people—this was unacceptable.

The man turned, his long blonde hair flowing like a cape behind him. He would be getting into power very soon. And he wouldn't make the same mistake Raiko had.

Justice needed to be served.


End file.
